LMU Opens WCC Play at Saint Mary's, Home Saturday vs. San Francisco

The LMU volleyball team will open WCC play this week.

The LMU volleyball team will open WCC play this week.

Sept. 19, 2012

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -

The Last Meeting

Loyola Marymount

3

Saint Mary's

2

October 22, 2011
Moraga, Calif.

Lions Outlast Saint Mary's in Thrilling Five-Set Match
The LMU volleyball team (11-11, 4-5) got the second-half of WCC play off to a good start, defeating Saint Mary's (10-12, 4-6) on the road on Saturday afternoon in five sets by scores of 20-25, 25-21, 26-24, 16-25, 19-17. LMU trailed 10-6 in the final set before digging its heels in and fighting back to take the period and the match in five. With the victory, LMU swept the season series between the two teams this year.

Lions Fall on Senior Day
The LMU volleyball team (14-15, 7-9 WCC) celebrated its Senior Day on Saturday, honoring four senior players prior to the match, before dropping a four-set decision to visiting San Francisco (16-13, 8-8 WCC) by scores of 23-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-18 in Gersten Pavilion. Saturday's loss was the first for the Lions this season when LMU wins the first set of a match, dropping the record to 11-1.

THIS WEEK: LMU (8-4) will begin West Coast Conference play this week, traveling to Saint Mary's (5-6) on Thursday for a match at 7 p.m. before returning home for the WCC home-opener against San Francisco (9-4) at 12 p.m. on Saturday...the road match at Saint Mary's will feature live stats found on LMULions.com, while LMU will stream Saturday's match for free online...

LION TRACKS: LMU finished 2-1 at a tournament for the fourth time in as many chances last weekend, falling to Kansas before knocking-off host Notre Dame and Xavier at the Golden Dome Invitational...juniors Kathleen Luft and Felicia Arriola were named to the All-Tournament team at the conclusion of play...the selection was Luft's fourth this year, while Arriola was lauded for the first time...

SEASON TICKET SCARF: LMU's season ticket scarf campaign is back once again - and it's better than ever...LMU is offering the Season Ticket Scarf Pack for season access to not only volleyball, but to women's basketball, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's water polo, women's water polo, softball and baseball at one low price...for just $30, you get access to all home preseason and regular season events for volleyball and these additional seven Division I programs - more than 100 home games at LMU...in addition, as the name suggests, the Season Ticket comes with the limited edition LMU Scarf, which is your access to those 100-plus games...for more information, and to purchase, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/8b4v2qn

GOOD LUCK AT THE IRISH: LMU went 2-1 at the Golden Dome Invitational hosted by Notre Dame...juniors Kathleen Luft and Felicia Arriola both earned All-Tournament honors at the conclusion of play...for Luft, the selection was her fourth in as many tournaments this year, while Arriola was lauded for the first time...Luft posted 43 kills (3.58 per set) over the course of the three matches...she hit .263, including .474 with 19 kills and 11 digs for a double-double against Xavier on September 15...Luft also served-up a pair of aces in that match against the Musketeers...Arriola recorded double-digit kills in all three matches on the weekend, beginning the week with 10 kills and nine digs against Kansas before posting 12 kills and nine digs on Saturday morning at Notre Dame...the native of Laguna Niguel, Calif. also added two block assists against the Irish...Arriola finished the tournament strong, notching 15 kills, an ace and six digs against Xavier...she averaged 3.08 kills per set and 2.00 digs per set on the weekend...

LET'S SETTLE THIS ON NEUTRAL GROUND: LMU has been extremely impressive in matches played at neutral sites, in which neither team is playing on their home court...LMU is currently 2-2 in neutral matches this year...the Lions were 4-2 in neutral matches last year after finishing 6-2 in 2010...overall, LMU is 39-12 (.765) in neutral contests over the last 12 seasons, including having posted perfect neutral records in five of those 12 seasons...over that span, the only year in which LMU did not manage at least a .500 record was in 2004 - playing to a 0-2 mark...

AS CONSISTENT AS THEY COME: LMU was 4-2 after six matches this year, but that is hardly a surprise for the diehard LMU volleyball fan...LMU has been 4-2 after six matches in each of the last five years...the Lions have also been 4-2 after six in eight of the last 15 years...LMU was 6-0 three times ('03, '00, '98), 5-1 three times (`05, `04, '02), and 3-3 once (2007) over that span...the Lions are now 8-4 on the year, having finished 2-1 at four tournaments this season...the 8-4 mark is the best record after 12 matches under Tom Black (6-6 last two years)...including this year, LMU has been 8-4 or better over 12 matches 11 times since 1998...the best record after 12 contests over that span was 11-1 in 2003 and 2005...

A HITTING DISCREPANCY: While LMU's .241 team hitting percentage through 12 matches isn't through the roof, the Lions have allowed just a .162 mark from its opponents - the fourth-lowest mark allowed over the last 15 years...LMU allowed just a .156 clip over 12 matches in 2006, a .157 mark in 2002 and a .160 clip in 2008...the Lions have held opponents under .200 hitting in all but four matches this year, including limiting UConn and Colgate to negative clips...

GAEL GOSSIP: Saint Mary's enters conference play sporting a 5-6 overall record, having lost three straight matches...five of the Gaels' losses have come at the hands of top-25 opponents, most recently falling to No. 7 Stanford last week...Kristina Graven paces the squad offensively, collecting 120 kills at a rate of 3.33 per set...Gabby Jolly, the team's leading blocker with four solos and 40 block assists, has notched 115 kills while hitting a stellar .356...Dalas Dodd has set the offense to a .231 hitting percentage, dishing-out 436 assists...Saint Mary's is coached by seventh-year head coach Rob Browning...

DON DIALOGUE: San Francisco enters conference play sporting a 9-4 overall record, having won five of its last six matches...the only Don loss over that span came at the hands of No. 7 Stanford...USF defeated California twice this year, including when the Bears held a No. 25 ranking on September 1...Valentina Zaloznik is hitting .305 this year for the Dons, while Jocelyn Levig paces the team with 176 kills at a rate of 4.00 per set...Levig also leads the team in aces with 16, guiding the Dons to 53 as a squad...Leanna Ludes is setting the offense to a .243 clip, dishing-out 464 assists at a rate of 10.30 per set...San Francisco is led by sixth-year head coach Gilad Doron...

The purpose of TEAM LMU is to bring Lion fans together as one, creating an atmosphere that helps build the Lions into champions, while allowing all to enjoy the benefits of our corporate partners...for more information about TEAM LMU, log on to: http://www.LMULions.com/teamlmu

HOME SWEET HOME: One of Southern California's premier athletic facilities, Albert Gersten Pavilion is in its 31st year as home of the Loyola Marymount Lions...since opening night, the Pavilion has become one of toughest places to play in the West Coast Conference...the Lions first moved into the facility in 1982, and recorded 14 wins in Gersten's inaugural season...since 1982, the Lions have posted an overall record of 258-139 (.650) in the friendly confines of the Pavilion...in conference play, the record is even more impressive with a 128-60 (.681) home record in WCC action...in 30 years, the 1996 (WCC volleyball championship team and Sweet Sixteen participant) and 2003 (NCAA second round appearance) squads have been the most successful with 14-1 marks, for .933 winning percentages...

A HIGH POINT: Junior Kathleen Luft earned her third All-Tournament selection in as many chances at the High Point University Invitational...Luft, who led all players in kills in each of the three matches, managed 57 kills (4.75 per set) on 134 attacks with only 14 errors for a stellar .321 hitting percentage over three matches to help LMU to a 2-1 record...Luft posted a pair of double-doubles on the weekend - teaming 22 kills with 10 digs against Virginia Tech before matching 19 kills and 10 digs at High Point on Saturday morning...

DUAL TOURNAMENT TALENTS: LMU placed a pair of players, sophomore Litara Keil and junior Kathleen Luft, on the LMU/UCI Dual Tournament All-Tournament team after finishing 2-1 in tournament play...Luft, who earned her second All-Tourney nod in as many chances, collected 48 kills (4.36 per set) over the three matches...she hit .209 during the weekend, serving-up three aces and recording 26 digs and three block assists...the native of Thousand Oaks, Calif. began the weekend with 20 kills in a four-set victory over Colgate, hitting .441 over the course of the match...her week culminated in her first double-double as a Lion (18 kills/14 digs) against Arizona State...Keil, a native of Long Beach, Calif., collected 28 kills while hitting .232 over the three matches...steady on the block, Keil notched four block solos and 11 block assists on the week, including three solos and two assists in a sweep of UC Irvine on Friday night...the sophomore narrowly missed a double-double of her own against Arizona State, teaming nine kills with a career-best 11 digs...

DOUBLETREE ALL-TOURNEY: Two players from each of the participating schools at the DoubleTree Los Angeles Westside Invitational were named to the All-Tournament team, including LMU's Betsi Metter and Kathleen Luft...Metter, LMU's starting libero, posted 60 digs at a rate of 6.67 digs/set...the reigning WCC Defensive Player of the Year posted a match-best 28 digs against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday night - her best mark this year and the second-most in a three-set match for LMU since 1998...she also managed 20 in three sets against UConn to open the season, placing tied for 10th-best at LMU since 1998...Luft, who transferred to LMU from Georgia, had a stellar debut weekend for the Lions, posting a team-high tying 33 kills at a rate of 3.67 per set...the junior hit .301 over the three matches, including a blistering .591 against Iona College on Saturday afternoon...

WHAT A CLASS: LMU volleyball's incoming recruiting class was tabbed Highest Honorable Mention by PrepVolleyball.com for the second straight year...the class includes incoming freshmen Sara Myers (OH - Episcopal School of Dallas), Rachelle Suaava (MB/RS - Long Beach Poly) and Hannah Tedrow (S - Orange Lutheran), in addition to transfer Kathleen Luft (OH - University of Georgia) and walk-on Avery Bush...LMU was one of just two West Coast Conference schools on the list, as Pepperdine was also lauded...in order to determine the top recruiting classes, PrepVolleyball.com petitions a panel of college coaches from across the country to develop the list...

U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A: For the third consecutive summer, LMU volleyball head coach Tom Black served as a consultant coach for the US Women's National Team as it prepared for the 2012 London Games...Black primarily assisted in the training sessions at the American Sports Center...while working with the US squad, which earned a silver medal at the Olympics, Black instructed alongside volleyball legends in Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon and coaches Karch Kiraly and Paula Weishoff...

BIG WEST...BIG PEST: LMU is slated to play three teams from the Big West Conference this year...the Lions were swept by UC Santa Barbara on August 25 before sweeping UC Irvine on August 31 in tournament play...the final Big West foe on the schedule is Cal State Northridge (Nov. 10)...the Lions have played better than .500 against the Big West under Head Coach Tom Black, sporting a 7-5 overall record, but the program overall is sub-.500 at 79-92...LMU has had its most success against Cal State Fullerton, going 22-4 overall, including 2-0 under Black...Long Beach State has been the hardest on the Lions, holding a 17-3 mark all-time against LMU...

ONLINE YEARBOOK: LMU Athletics is proud to offer fans interactive yearbooks once again this year...all LMU yearbooks bring fans clickable content featuring videos and live updated web links...LMU interactive yearbooks will continue to feature player and coach biographies, team histories, and information about Loyola Marymount University and its athletics programs, while working in tandem with LMU's official athletics website, www.LMULions.com, to offer up-to-date statistics and news...to view the 2012 volleyball yearbook, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/9gkj3t9

IT'S JUST A NUMBER...: The Lions are scheduled to play eight matches this year against teams that at least received votes in the 2012 AVCA Division I Coaches Top-25 Preseason Poll...the ranked foes will all come in conference play, as Pepperdine (No. 11), San Diego (No. 19), BYU and Saint Mary's all at least received votes...LMU played five matches against ranked foes last year, finishing 0-5 in those contests...rankings have been nothing short of perfect in the recent past when predicting LMU's fate against ranked opponents, as the Lions have dropped 31 consecutive matches against those teams...the last Lion victory against a ranked opponent came on October 5, 2006 at Santa Clara, as the Lions earned a sweep of the then-No. 12 Broncos...

PICKED BEFORE THE SERVE: Junior Betsi Metter was the lone Lion named to the 2012 WCC Preseason All-Conference team...named West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year after posting a conference-best 538 digs at a rate of 4.89 per set, Metter garnered honorable mention All-West Coast Conference honors as a sophomore while also claiming a spot on the All-Academic squad last year...the 538 digs and 4.89 digs per set were good enough to rank second in LMU's single-season record book...on the serve, Metter managed 42 aces at a rate of 0.38 per set to place third in the WCC...staking her claim as one of the best players in the conference, she was named WCC Player of the Week on October 31 - the only libero lauded by the WCC throughout the season...

ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS: In addition to Betsi Metter on the honorable mention team (see "PICKED BEFORE THE SERVE"), LMU's Litara Keil also received postseason honors from the West Coast Conference...the native of Long Beach, Calif. took home All-Freshman team honors...a COBRA Magazine All-Southwest Region selection, Keil started all 30 matches in her inaugural year, leading all LMU players on the block with 20 block solos and 85 block assists at a rate of 0.97 blocks per set...making a name for herself right away, Keil posted a season-best three block solos in her first match of her career against Cal State Fullerton on August 26...

THE SURVEY SAYS: According to the nine West Coast Conference head coaches, the LMU women's volleyball team is tabbed to finish tied for sixth in the WCC this year...Saint Mary's College and the University of San Diego each received 59 points and four first place votes to share the top spot in the preseason poll...the Gaels finished fourth last season, while the Toreros finished second behind Pepperdine...this year, the Waves were chosen to finish third with 53 points and the remaining first place vote in the poll...BYU, last year's third-place finisher, was picked to finish fourth this season with 42 points, followed by the University of San Francisco with 33...LMU and Santa Clara University tied for sixth with 27 points apiece, while the University of Portland and Gonzaga University rounded out the list with 13 points and 11 points, respectively...

For the sixth consecutive year, LMU volleyball will help raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer through the DiG PiNK campaign...LMU's DiG PiNK event will be played on October 4 versus BYU...to view LMU's team page, and to make a donation, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/8e9xkh5

WELLS FARGO PCH CUP: Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime cross-town adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine have come together in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Challenge...the series, which is in its fourth year, serves as an annual scorecard for the NCAA-sponsored athletic contests between the Lions and Waves, and challenges each institution to rise above the other within the West Coast Conference...any head-to-head competition, including matches in the post-season and tournaments throughout the year, will be counted toward the scoring and added to the scorecard as they occur...for the sports in which the two teams do not meet head-to-head, the teams will battle for points that will be awarded on the basis of overall finish at their respective post-season championships...the Waves currently lead the Lions, 1-0, in the PCH Cup standings this year...Pepperdine has won the challenge in each of the first three seasons...to learn more about the PCH Challenge and view the current scorecard, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/6n4l82s

GET OFF ON THE RIGHT PAW: The Lions have had a knack for coming out of the gates strong in recent memory, having won 14 of their last 16 season-openers, including a three-set victory over UConn to open the 2012 season...the only losses over that span came in 2007 to St. John's and then-No. 10 USC in 2010...LMU has recorded eight sweeps and won in four sets on five occasions...